The Prompt as Performative Utterance: When Does Asking Make It So?

You type "Generate an image of a cat." A cat appears. Your words didn't describe something that already existed. They brought something into being. In that moment, you performed a kind of magic the same magic that happens when a judge says "I sentence you" and a person becomes a prisoner, or when someone says "I promise" and a bond is formed. This is the realm of performative utterances words that don't just describe reality, but change it. And every time you prompt an AI, you're engaging in this ancient linguistic magic. But not all prompts are created equal. Some merely describe.